A Chinese restaurant and a Walmart Superstore in Raynham were both handed down liquor license suspensions at the town's Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday night, after undercover compliance checks in December found that both businesses violated the law against serving alcohol to a minor.

RAYNHAM — A Chinese restaurant and a Walmart Superstore in Raynham were both handed down liquor license suspensions at the town's Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday night, after undercover compliance checks in December found that both businesses violated the law against serving alcohol to a minor.

Walmart, located at 36 Paramount Drive, was given a two-day suspension, after the Board of Selectmen discussed the store's obligations, noting that the Raynham Walmart was a "repeat offender." The temporary suspension will take place on two Fridays, Feb. 8 and Feb. 15, when the store will not be permitted to sell its beer or wine.

Raynham Walmart store manager Humberto Cabral said the store accepted full responsibility, but requested that there be no suspension. Cabral said his Raynham store gets 40,000 customers a week, with a "pretty strong" record for alcohol sales compliance, using training and technological mechanisms at the cash registers to remind associates to check identification for anyone who appears under 40 years old. Cabral also asked the Selectmen to consider the local bottlers and workers who may be adversely affected by the suspension.

"Certainly we feel the embarrassment of what occurred is painful enough," Cabral said. "I take my job really serious and my staff as well. It hurts all of us. We let the community down. We know the overwhelming majority of associates do the right thing everyday."

Cabral also said the 23-year-old sales associate involved, who was six months into the job, was fired on Dec. 23. The 23-year-old and any others who violate the rule will never be allowed to work at any Walmart location again, Cabral said.

But Raynham Board of Selectmen Chairpman Joseph Pacheco said that a two-day suspension was proper, especially because it was not the store's first offense. Cabral replied that he has managed the store for 10 years, and that under his watch the store has only been cited once previously for serving liquor to a minor.

"Where I stand and where my colleagues are, I do feel we have a responsibility to the community that when something like this happens, we do have to take additional corrective action," Pacheco said. "Unfortunately for Walmart, this is not your first offense."

Taunton-based Attorney James Fagan represented China Garden owner Xuong Thanh Mao, who started running the business at 883 Broadway in the early 2000s, taking over for the Wong family that started the business more than 40 years ago.

"We also accept responsibility entirely for the incident," Fagan said. "On behalf of the China Garden, and Mr. Mao, who is particularly hands-on running the business together with family, they are deeply disappointed and embarrassed by this and recognize fully the seriousness of it. … We apologize and hope this never happens again."

Fagan said that the barmaid who served a beer to the undercover operative for the police was on her first day of the job. The worker at China Garden was also fired because of the violation, he said.

Page 2 of 2 - Selectman Pacheco said that there have been no underage liquor violations he is aware of at China Garden that happened under Mao's watch. He then recommended a one-day suspension, for Feb. 6, which was passed unanimously by the Board.

"I believe this situation is a little bit different than Walmart's," Pacheco said. "But unfortunately I also recognize even though the size is different, the responsibility isn't different."

Raynham police Officer Louis F. Pacheco explained to the Selectmen during the meeting that the undercover compliance checks were conducted at all 18 liquor license holders in the town on Dec. 18, 2013. Pacheco said the checks are clear-cut: Just send an operative into the store to buy liquor without any identification to verify that they are above the legal age to buy alcohol

"The undercover operative is not aiming to trick anybody," Louis F. Pacheco said. "They just go in there with no ID on them whatsoever and try to purchase alcohol. They are not allowed to trick or coerce."

Louis F. Pacheco said the operative simply walked into Walmart, grabbed a six pack of Bud Light, paid for it and was then out the door.

"He went to Register 34 and the guy there asked for an ID," Louis F. Pacheco said. "He said he didn't have one. He started to leave and the guy just took the beer and put it through for you."

The police took the receipt and the beer as evidence.

During the compliance check at China Garden, the undercover operative ordered a beer at the bar, without being checked for ID, police said. Louis F. Pacheco said the operative then called the officer into the building to confirm what happened, and to speak with the manager, who was upset about the situation.